4 FanDuel Premier League Value Plays for Week 1

In his first start for Crystal Palace, Steve Mandanda gets a nice matchup against offensively-challenged West Brom.

The Premier League hits the ground running this weekend with a 10-game schedule.

The opening weekend can be a little crazy for DFS. With new signings arriving, stars reporting late because of international duties, and roles far from set in stone, there are a lot of variables at play.

We already looked at some high-priced players who are worth the large investment, but let’s shift to some low-cost assets who could deliver with some solid production, highlighting one value play at each position.

Goalie

Steve Mandanda, Crystal Palace

FanDuel Price: £6.5 million

Newly-promoted Palace drew a great matchup for their reintroduction to the Premier League, getting a home meeting with West Bromwich Albion. It’s a particularly tasty setting for Mandanda. Among teams that were not relegated a year ago, West Brom ranked last in goals scored per game at 0.89. Not only did West Brom fire off a league-low 10.2 shots per match, but just 2.8 of those shots were on target, which was another league-worst clip.

The Baggies were really poor on the road, too, managing just 8.8 shots per match. The game is tied for the lowest over/under on the slate, and Mandanda -- who had 9 clean sheets in 36 matches last season for Olympique Marseille -- has a great chance to start his Crystal Palace career with a bang.

Defender

Damien Delaney, Crystal Palace

FanDuel Price: £6 million

If you're looking for a defensive stack, you could do a lot worse than pairing Delaney with Mandanda. All of the positives working for Mandanda also apply to Delaney, who has been a regular in Palace's starting XI since the 2012-13 campaign. Delaney averaged 1.8 interceptions, 6.3 clearances, and 1.2 blocks per game last season. He does enough going forward -- scoring 2 goals with 3 assists last year while dishing out 33 passes per game -- to be a solid fantasy asset. It's worth repeating: West Brom are a poor offensive team. With that said, Palace, who ranked 15th a year ago with a 46.8% possession rate, aren't going to overpower the Baggies, so Delaney should be busy enough defensively to rack up some solid numbers.

Forward

Gerard Deulofeu, Everton

FanDuel Price: £5.7 million

In a match between two of last season’s most offensive sides, Deulofeu has considerable upside. Both Everton and Tottenham ranked in the top three in shots per game a year ago, and if Deulofeu can secure a role taking corners, he’d be very difficult to pass up at this price. The Spaniard scored 2 goals with 8 assists in just 16 appearances (10 starts) a year ago, his first with the Toffees. Spurs conceded just 35 goals last season, tying for a league-best clip, but it shouldn’t scare you off Everton, who were sixth in open play goals and third in goals off counter attacks.